Category — dharma

Some thoughts on some of the most basic misconceptions and nutty side trips we all make when it comes to meditation We can’t hear these things too many times.

And now, without further ado, please do not: [Read more →]

Last week, we discussed two of the three aspects of the awakened mind—compassion and wisdom. Today I’d like to offer a (very) few thoughts on the third quality—power.

When we think about the quality of power, I’m sure many things come to mind. Some are positive—the certainty of a strong ruler or the beneficence of a saint. Some are not so positive—the authoritarianism of, say, teachers or bosses, or those who have influence over us due to wealth, beauty, or position.

However the Buddhist view of power has nothing to do with becoming a ruler or a saint (not that there is anything wrong with that), nor is it about authority, influence, or control. The Buddhist definition has more to do with the ability to see clearly. [Read more →]

I want to speak to you about the most controversial, incendiary notion in the entire world, the one that, if you are looking to cause a commotion, disturb the status quo, or get into a fight, is the thing you should say.

Are you ready?

Are you sure you’re ready?

All beings are basically good.

There, I said it. [Read more →]

The Open Heart Project is designed to help you find your unique path with meditation as a support. Whether you are a Christian, Jew, Atheist, or none of the above, meditation provides a powerful foundation from which to explore your world. No one has to be (or pretend to be) a Buddhist to receive this support.

However, sometimes members of the OHP ask me questions about Buddhism, which I love. One of the more regular questions I get is, “What does it mean to become a Buddhist? How do you actually do that?”  [Read more →]

This past Monday, I went to hear a talk from the wonderful Tibetan Buddhist teacher, Tsoknyi Rinpoche who has a new book called Open Heart, Open Mind. I haven’t read it yet, but it sounds great. And I loved what he had to say about it.

He started out by saying that when he first came to the West to teach, he really focused on (and I’m paraphrasing here) explaining the essential points of the dharma as clearly as possible. People picked up on this very quickly, he said. But something wasn’t quite right. They seemed to comprehend the outer meaning but not, as he phrased it, the “heart meaning.” He realized, he said, that in the West cognitive ability is very, very strong—but emotional comprehension is weak. In the East, he continued, heart energy is good. People are more likely to feel happy and the focus on “getting things done” may take a back seat. For us, it is the opposite, even, he hinted, extremely so. And when cognitive capability is emphasized and emotional intelligence is not and it’s all married to a fear-based education system that encourages accomplishment over all things—it can be quite difficult to understand and apply the dharma. [Read more →]

At the end of meditation or yoga practice, it is common for the teacher to bow. Maybe you bow back, maybe you don’t, but it’s worth taking a look at the gesture in any case.

Bowing has actually become a semi-normal part of pop culture. I’ve seen politicians bow after making a speech, actors on sitcoms bowing to indicate some kind of affinity with yogadom, and pals who bow as a way of saying “hello”, “goodbye”, “good point”, or “awesome”.

While some might think of bowing as indicating an affinity for the worlds of eastern thought, others of us may find it a bit questionable, like, “why should I bow to you?” Isn’t bowing some kind of subservient gesture? [Read more →]

I am with my parents right now and in being here with them, I am reminded of how much they were my very first dharma teachers. There is a tradition in Tibetan Buddhism of using slogan practice to refine your mind and dissolve negative mental habits by contemplating such statements as “Regard all dharmas as dreams,” “Drive all blames into one,” and “Always maintain only a joyful mind.” Mom and dad had their own slogans and together they could be said to describe the path of mindfulness- awareness.

As you see from your meditation practice, through continual placement of attention on breath, we cultivate the precious quality of mindfulness: of focus, concentration and one-pointedness. In our incredibly speedy world, one who can place his attention where he would like and then hold it there–stay–is a very powerful person indeed. [Read more →]

I don’t know if you have noticed this about your meditation practice, but one thing that many people report is a kind of softening—to your own experience, perhaps, but also to the world around you. There is a sense of permeability, of walking down the street and receiving input in a more direct way than before.

When you see a yellow daffodil poking up through the hard earth, you are struck by the delight of yellowness and touched by freshness. It is non-conceptual and immediate.

When you see the look of fatigue on the face of a saleswoman, the fatigue seems to momentarily seep into your own bones.

When you see a family reunited at the airport, tears of joy spring to your own eyes.

When something sad happens to you or someone you love, you feel it completely.

Somehow, you are becoming both more resilient and more gentle. [Read more →]

Hello and happy Valentine’s Day. It is a great day to think about love, although the same can be said of every day.

I returned yesterday from teaching a weekend workshop called The Wisdom of a Broken Heart, based on a book I wrote by that title. Once again, I was reminded of some very interesting things about love:

1. When we say we’re looking for love, most of us mean we’re looking for safety. Loving is the opposite of safe. Then what?
2. There is only one seat of power when it comes to love, and that is as a lover.
3. Heartbreak is simply love unbound from an object.
4. It is possible to stabilize your heart in this (broken) open state.

One of the best things ever said about love comes from Zen priest and poet, John Tarrant Roshi:

“Attention is the most basic form of love. Through it, we bless and are blessed.”

Perhaps above all, as Tarrant Roshi suggests, love is about the ability (and willingness) to simply pay attention to others, to be mindful of them. Of course a meditation practice teaches this exact skill. Please sign up for The Open Heart Project to receive instruction and support.

I have a dream.

That one day, we will live in a world where we recognize all beings as one family.

I have a dream that on that day, when any one of my brothers or sisters, be they known to me or unknown, seen or unseen, animal or human, finds themselves in sorrow for any reason, a dark blossom will flower in my own heart and in yours and yours, until all of creation sways in the darkness of night, together, and together we sing the song of love.

I have a dream that when a brother or sister knows joy for any reason, I find myself also standing under that cascading waterfall and so do you and you and we are each refreshed, nourished, and cleansed by it together, and together we sing the song of love.

I dream that all beings of all the times in all realms have utterly open hearts and are thus capable of living in the great equanimity free from delusion, free from grasping, and free from hatred.

You have a dream.

What is it?